Sant Pau and the Fundación Bancaria “la Caixa” present the collaboration agreement that will allow a clinical trial to be carried out on patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma B. Thanks to this collaboration agreement between “la Caixa” and the Sant Pau Research Institute, Phase I of this trial will be applied this year to patients refractory to the treatments.

The Hospital de Sant Pau is one of the eight centres in Spain that the General Directorate of Basic Portfolio of Services of the National Health and Pharmacy System, dependent on the Ministry of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare, has authorised to use CAR -T medicines.

A pioneering trial in the State
The innovative test to be carried out is based on the selection of a type of T lymphocytes called memory T lymphocytes, which are small but extremely effective cells of the body. They are generated after a primary infection and are in charge of mediating the defence of the organism in successive infections of the same pathogen, as they are “remembered” from it. In addition, they have a powerful effect against tumour cells.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma B is one of the most frequent blood cancers in the world. It is an oncological disease of the lymphatic system, which mainly contributes to forming and activating the body’s defences. In most patients, the disease is eliminated after intensive cycles of chemotherapy and often a bone marrow transplant. However, many patients relapse, and there are currently very few therapeutic options that can be offered to them.

Researchers from CIBERDEM and CIBERCV have identified the mechanisms by which HDL lipoproteins, responsible for transporting good cholesterol and preventing the accumulation of cholesterol in the arterial wall, lose their cardioprotective capacity in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a pathology that does not produce symptoms and is difficult to diagnose in time. Among the researchers who have participated are Dr. Francisco Blanco Vaca of CIBERDEM, director of the Hospital Biochemistry Service and coordinator of the Metabolic Bases Research Group of the cardiovascular rich IIB Sant Pau and Lídia Cedó researcher of the same group.

The work, published in Ebiomedicine, shows that the HDL of patients with AAA present oxidative modifications that diminish their cardioprotective function. The authors, belonging to the Fundación Jiménez Díaz-UAM, the CNIC and the Research Institute of the Hospital de la Santa Cruz y San Pablo -IIB San Pablo, explain that “oxidative modifications can be measured in the blood of patients and could be used as biomarkers to improve the diagnosis of the pathology, adding predictive value to traditional risk factors”.

A study led by the CIM of the Hospital de Sant Pau and the Research Institute of San Pablo seeks to prove that children who have enjoyed the accompaniment of the clowns of the Hospital, Pallapupas, present less stress at the time of being operated. This is a controlled clinical trial carried out with the aim of assessing the effectiveness of the Pallapupas’ participation in reducing stress in children undergoing General Surgery by determining the concentration of cortisol in saliva. The study focuses on children between the ages of 5 and 12 undergoing this type of surgery on an outpatient basis in the Sant Pau. Anesthesia, Paediatric Surgery and CIM teams have participated in this study.

Dr. Jordi Surrallés, director of the Genetics Service of the Hospital and coordinator of the Research Group Syndromes of Genomic Instability and DNA Repair of the IIB Sant Pau in a ceremony at the Palau de la Generalitat. An award that recognises excellence – excellence in the research of professors.

More information about ICREA Academy

Researchers from CIBERDEM and CIBERCV have identified the mechanisms by which HDL lipoproteins, responsible for transporting good cholesterol and preventing the accumulation of cholesterol in the arterial wall, lose their cardioprotective capacity in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), a pathology that does not produce symptoms and is difficult to diagnose in time. Among the researchers who have participated are Dr. Francisco Blanco Vaca of CIBERDEM, director of the Biochemistry Service of the Hospital and coordinator of the Metabolic Bases of Cardiovascular Risk Research Group of IIB Sant Pau and Lídia Cedó, researcher of the same group.

The work, published in Ebiomedicine, demonstrates that the HDL of patients with AAA present oxidative modifications that diminish their cardioprotective function. The authors, belonging to the Fundación Jiménez Díaz-UAM, the CNIC and the Research Institute of the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau -IIB Sant Pau, explain that “oxidative modifications can be measured in the blood of patients and could be used as biomarkers to improve the diagnosis of the pathology, adding predictive value to traditional risk factors”.

Dr. Cándido Villanueva, of the Department of Gastrointestinal Pathology of Sant Pau and of the Group of Digestive Pathology of the IIB Sant Pau has coordinated the PREDESCI study, and together with Dr. Jaume Bosch, of the Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS, are the main authors of the article recently published in the prestigious magazine The Lancet. The study demonstrates for the first time that it is possible to prevent the decompensation of cirrhosis with non-selective beta-blockers (BBNS).

For the study, carried out over 5 years, 631 patients with compensated cirrhosis were examined, of which 210 were finally included. The significance of this project is that it demonstrates for the first time that non-selective beta-blocking drugs (BBNS) , such as propranolol and carvedilol, allow to prevent the clinical decompensation of cirrhosis in asymptomatic patients with high risk of decompensation, manifested by the existence of clinically significant portal hypertension.

It is noteworthy that precisely from the onset of decompensation cirrhosis becomes a serious disease, with complications that can be fatal, requiring repeated hospitalizations, and that lead to the need for liver transplantation.

The appearance of ascites (accumulation of fluid in the peritoneum) was the most frequently observed form of decompensation in the study and non-selective BBNS decreased the risk of developing it by 56%.

All this gives the study a great clinical impact since until now no medication has managed to prevent the decompensation of cirrhosis. On the other hand, the treatment with BBNS is safe and very economical, which greatly facilitates its use.

The work has been financed with competitive grants from the Carlos III Health Institute. Six more hospitals from all over Spain have participated: Vall d’Hebron, Arnau de Vilanova, Germans Trias i Pujol, Ramón y Cajal, Gregorio Marañón, Puerta de Hierro Clinic, all of them integrated into the CIBERehd.

To access the study, click here

The Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute (IIB Sant Pau) in collaboration with Dr. Natividad de Benito and Dr. Ferran Navarro of the Research Group on Infectious Pathology and Clinical Microbiology (CREPIMC) led by Dr. Pere Coll, organized the seminar entitled:
“Antimicrobial Treatment of Articular Prosthesis Infection: Bases of clinical experience and experimental models”. The lecture will be given by Dr. Javier Ariza, clinician, specialist in Infectious Diseases at the Bellvitge University Hospital and professor of Medicine at the University of Barcelona. The meeting will take place on 10 April at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of the Hospital de Sant Pau. Admission is free.

The work presented by Dr. Cintia González, member of the Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Group and consultant of the Endocrinology Service of Sant Pau, entitled “Social networks as an alternative to traditional therapeutic education” has recently been awarded in the Call for Research Grants 2019 of the Catalan Diabetes Association.

Next April 7th, within the Beauty BCN Catwalk, the 3rd edition of the Collage Show Solidario will be held. An act that counts on the collaboration of some of the most reputed professionals of the national and international hairdressing salon. The funds raised through the purchase of tickets for the show will be used for Alzheimer’s-Down research at the Hospital de Sant Pau.

You can buy tickets at www.cosmobeautybarcelona.com

The project “Impact of Mobile Health on Integrated Management of Chronic Conditions”, led by Dra. Mar Gomis, from the San Pablo Pharmacy Service and the Pharmacy Research Group of the IIB Sant Pau, together with different clinical teams from the Hospital, has been selected as a finalist among more than 80 projects at an international level and has won the runner-up prize in the Novartis Chair Awards in Category II: Innovative management initiatives based on new information and knowledge technologies: digitalization, Big Data, intel – artificial intelligence or telemedicine that add value to the system.

MolMed SpA. (MLMD.MI), a biotechnology company focused on the research, development, production and clinical validation of genes and cells therapies for the treatment of cancer and rare diseases, announces that it has obtained authorization from AIFA to initiate trial phase I-II in people with their own CD44v6 CAR-T for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and multiple myeloma (MM). The authorization of AIFA follows the favorable technical opinion expressed by the Italian National Institute of Health – ISS (Higher Institute of Health). The trials provide for the participation of 5 clinical centers including the Hematology Service and the Research Group on Oncology and Transplant Hematology of IIB Sant Pau.

Phase I multicentre clinical research is part of the European EURE CART Horizon 2020 project, coordinated and sponsored by MolMed. The trials provide for the participation of 5 clinical centers including the Hematology Service of Sant Pau and the Research Group of Oncology and Transplant Hematology of the IIB Sant Pau.

The study consists of two phases: a first phase in which adult patients with LMA and MM are included to identify the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) between the dose levels provided by the clinical protocol and a second phase, which will also include pediatric patients , with the primary objective of evaluating the therapeutic activity of the CAR-T cells in each pathology in a larger number of patients.

CD44v6 is, in fact, an antigen that has never been used as an objective in a CAR, and that is not only expressed by some haematological tumors such as myeloma and leukemia, but also by several solid tumors.

More information on the EURE CART project at the link https://www.eure-cart.eu/

The DALI study (Vitamin D and Lifestyle Intervention for Gestational Diabetes Prevention) is a project funded by the FP7 Programme of the European Union and locally by CAIBER which addressed in two clinical trials in 9 European countries different strategies for the prevention of gestational diabetes. The Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute (IIB Sant Pau) is the only Spanish centre represented in this study that was carried out by the Endocrinology and Gynaecology and Obstetrics Services with the necessary collaboration of the Paediatrics and Biochemistry Services and the Primary Care centres. The study is led locally by Dr. Rosa Corcoy of the Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition Research Group of the IIB Sant Pau, director of the Diabetes Unit of the Hospital and principal investigator of group CB06 / 01/0009 of the CIBER-BBN.

Overweight and obesity are very important problems for society and individual health due to their repercussion and frequency. In Spain, more than a third of children are obese or overweight. Pregnant women with obesity often give birth to babies with too much fat those who are most at risk of becoming obese during childhood and adolescence, thus increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, among other health problems. Therefore, the prevention of overweight and obesity should begin during pregnancy or even earlier.

Obese pregnant women participating in the DALI lifestyle modification clinical trial participated in a program to improve physical activity, healthy eating, or a combination of both. These groups were compared to a control group.

This trial also measured the subcutaneous fat (skin fold) of the babies of the women who participated in the study a few hours after birth. Participants who received advice on both physical activity and healthy eating were able to gain less weight, increase their physical activity, improve their eating habits and also reduce the time they spent sitting. But most importantly, their babies had less fat at birth than the babies of women who did not participate in the lifestyle intervention. This is the first study to show that a change in a mother’s lifestyle during pregnancy can influence her baby’s fat.

During the trial, a more detailed analysis was made of what aspect of lifestyle was related to reducing babies’ fatness, and no association was found with increased physical activity or decreased weight gain, but rather with reduced time spent sitting.

So the good news is that the DALI study shows that obese women can reduce their babies’ fat by changing their lifestyle during pregnancy. Therefore, recommendations for obese pregnant women should include the importance of reducing sitting time. This may be a simpler message to adopt than increased physical activity.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

Médicos e investigadores de Sant Pau y del Clínico de Barcelona en colaboración con la Universidad de California aplican una innovadora técnica de análisis de neuroimagen para identificar de manera más sensible los cambios cerebrales que se producen en la demencia frontotemporal, una causa de demencia en personas de edad media que afecta las regiones frontales del cerebro, que regulan nuestra conducta.

En este estudio miembros del consorcio CATFI (Iniciativa Catalana para la Demencia frontotemporal), en concreto la Unidad de Memoria del Hospital Sant Pau de Barcelona, el Grupo de Investigación de Neurobiología de las Demencias del Instituto de Investigación Biomédica Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau) y la Unidad de Alzheimer y otros trastornos cognitivos del Hospital Clínico de Barcelona-IDIBAPS, en colaboración con el Memory and Aging Center de San Francisco (California, EEUU) acaban de publicar un trabajo en la prestigiosa revista Brain en el que se aplica una nueva técnica de imagen cerebral para el estudio de los primeros cambios cerebrales en la variante conductual de la demencia frontotemporal.

La variante conductual de la demencia frontotemporal es un tipo de demencia menos frecuente que la enfermedad de Alzheimer pero que supone la segunda causa de demencia en personas menores de 65 años. A diferencia del Alzheimer que afecta fundamentalmente a la memoria reciente, la variante conductual de la demencia frontotemporal se caracteriza por un cambio progresivo de la personalidad y deterioro en la cognición social con una relativa preservación de otras capacidades cognitivas en las primeras fases de la enfermedad.

Los síntomas pueden incluir, de forma variable, un comportamiento desinhibido o infantil en contextos sociales, decisiones irreflexivas que a veces pueden poner en peligro la seguridad o la economía familiar, pérdida de interés o motivación en las aficiones o intereses previos, falta de empatía, conductas obsesivas o ritualístiques y / o marcada impulsividad. El diagnóstico de esta enfermedad puede resultar difícil y se puede confundir con enfermedades psiquiátricas como la depresión o el trastorno bipolar.

Según el neurólogo de San Pablo, Dr. Ignacio Illán Gala, primer firmante del trabajo: “en el momento del diagnóstico es frecuente que las familias lleven meses o incluso años consultando a varios médicos y en ocasiones han sido diagnosticados de enfermedades psiquiátricas dado que las pruebas realizadas no mostraron alteraciones” .

Los estudios de imagen como la resonancia magnética cerebral ayudan a los médicos a identificar en muchos casos una disminución del volumen cerebral en las regiones frontales y temporales. Sin embargo, en un tercio de los casos, la resonancia magnética no muestra ningún cambio a simple vista. El estudio publicado demuestra que, una nueva técnica de estudio de la imagen cerebral, la difusividad media cortical, es más sensible para identificar cambios cerebrales en los pacientes.

Según Victor Montal, co-primer firmante e ingeniero responsable del desarrollo de la nueva técnica de análisis: “con esta nueva técnica somos capaces de estudiar cambios sutiles en la movilidad de las moléculas de agua de la corteza cerebral, pudiendo objetivar cambios en las fases más iniciales de la enfermedad “. Esta nueva técnica logró evidenciar cambios cerebrales en los pacientes con demencia frontotemporal que no presentaban atrofia en el momento del diagnóstico.

El Dr. Joan Fortea, autor del artículo y coordinador de la sección de Neuroimagen de la Unidad de memoria de San Pablo, resalta “es una muestra de la necesidad de utilizar biomarcadores en la evaluación de las enfermedades neurodegenerativas para aumentar la certeza diagnóstica” .

Según el Dr. Alberto León, autor del artículo y jefe de la Unidad de memoria del Hospital de San Pablo: “Estos hallazgos abren la puerta a una mejora en el diagnóstico precoz de la demencia frontotemporal y podrían aplicarse para mejorar el diagnóstico de otras enfermedades neurodegenerativas “.

Para la Dra. Raquel Sánchez-Valle, coautora del artículo y jefe de la unidad de Alzheimer y otros trastornos cognitivos del Hospital Clínico-IDIBAPS este trabajo “es una muestra del éxito de consorcios multicéntricos con un perfil multidisciplinar para avanzar en el conocimiento de enfermedades neurodegenerativas poco prevalentes pero de alto impacto clínico y social “.

Este proyecto reunió 148 resonancias magnéticas cerebrales de personas valoradas en Barcelona como parte del consorcio CATFI y San Francisco (California, EE.UU.) y ha sido posible gracias a la financiación de la Generalidad de Cataluña y el Instituto de salud Carlos III.

Actualmente el Hospital de Sant Pau y el Hospital Clínico de Barcelona colaboran como centros de referencia en el diagnóstico de pacientes con demencia frontotemporal en el marco de la iniciativa CATFI lado del Hospital Arnau de Vilanova de Lleida.

El objetivo de la iniciativa CATFI es el desarrollo de nuevas métodos diagnósticos y aproximaciones terapéuticas para los pacientes con demencia frontotemporal. Si bien esta iniciativa dispone de financiación hasta finales de 2019, es una prioridad para sus responsables obtener nuevas fuentes de financiación más allá de esta fecha para seguir avanzando en su objetivo.

Más información

Silvia Vicente, nurse at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in San Pablo and member of the Care Research Group at the Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute (IIB Sant Pau), has devised a device, called Swaddy, that reduces stress on the baby during the weight procedure and contributes to its better neurological development.

A multidisciplinary team from the Neonatology Unit of the Hospital de Sant Pau, made up of neonatal nurses, a neonatologist and an occupational therapist, and led by the NICU nurse, Silvia Vicente, has carried out a clinical trial that concludes that this device significantly improves the heart and respiratory frequency and pain scale of premature babies weighing less than or equal to 1,500 grams during the procedure. The stress that this procedure can cause to the NICU can produce alterations in the development of the brain of these babies, and during this neonatal period, the reduction of stressful stimuli is one of the main functions of the Neonatology team. The Swaddy device reduces the stress of the premature baby and therefore contributes to its comfort.

Premature babies are prematurely in an environment for which they are not yet ready, the NICU. And sometimes they will find days or even months here, in a not very warm environment, with noises, with gravity and with an immature musculoskeletal and neurological system. Therefore, the quality of the experiences lived in this unit will determine the development of your brain. This is the motivation for finding solutions such as Swaddy to improve as much as possible the comfort of babies to promote their growth and development at the same time.

The Swaddy

The Swaddy is a soft, elastic clothing device that favours the flexing position, a position that a very premature baby can hardly carry out due to the immaturity of its flexor pattern. A posture that provides greater security, and simulates the mother’s uterus saving the energy needed to maintain other vital functions.

Although the development of muscle tissue begins before birth, the differentiation of muscle fibers will be considered unfulfilled before 40 weeks of gestation. In addition, sometimes premature babies admitted to the NICU show an exaggerated cervical curvature with positions of hyperextension of the neck, produced by being carriers of mechanical ventilation, among other causes. This posture weakens the flexor muscles of the neck and this results in difficulties for the baby to center the head and coordinate with the body’s midline. The Swaddy allows symmetry towards the midline and has a built-in cap that provides greater security saving energy, much needed to maintain other vital functions.
The device is made with a piece of cotton with adjustable elastane, the fabric is thin and soft to prevent excessive warming of the baby, and has a front opening that allows some mobility to promote the development of muscle fibers. The fabric also allows the mother to come into contact with her skin for a while and soak up its scent so that the baby feels the company of her mother when she is away.

From 12 to 15 March, the Plastic Surgery Service of the Hospital de Sant Pau – Hospital del Mar is organising the Barcelona Breast Meeting 2019 (BBM 2019), an international meeting with more than 40 world experts and more than 400 specialists, where new advances in oncoplastic, restorative and aesthetic breast surgery will be discussed.

For the first time BBM 2019 will host the International Breast Cancer Coordinated Care Conference (IBC4), one of the most important breast cancer conferences in the U.S. organized by the prestigious Georgetown University – Washington.

During BBM 2019 there will also be a session of the International Brest Surgery Alliance (IBSA), an independent association made up of the world’s leading experts in breast surgery. This session will be held in conjunction with leading companies in the medical industry that produce implants, to deepen the relationship between breast implants and the risk of developing anaplastic cell lymphoma – large cells.

One of the most innovative topics to be addressed at BBM 2.019 is how to achieve a reliable mastectomy technique with skin and nipple conservation to ensure a better quality of life by ensuring the best results in subsequent reconstructive surgery.

For the first time in Spain, a type of live surgery for more than 400 specialists from all over the world, mastopexy with structural support. It is a technique that uses biological and / or synthetic matrices that reduce the fall of the chest and ensure a better evolution of the surgery over time.

Innovative techniques such as:

– Hybrid reconstruction combining implants or vascularized tissue and fat grafts with stem cells.

– Lymphedema prevention surgery with immediate reconstruction of the T-LAR lymphatic system. This surgical technique of lymphedema prevention with immediate reconstruction of the T-LAR lymphatic system was developed by the Joint Service of Plastic Surgery of Sant Pau and the Sea and has subsequently been implemented in other centers of reference in the State and the world, such as the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, University Hospital of Harvard Medical School.

More information

World Brain Week is celebrated from 11 to 15 March 2019. Scientists, including different professionals from Sao Paulo, who research aspects of Neurobiology will travel to schools in Barcelona to make talks that will allow students to know first hand the lines of research that are followed to deepen the knowledge of the brain and to better understand diseases such as schizophrenia, depression and Alzheimer’s, among others.

The talks, organised by the Municipal Institute of Education of Barcelona, are aimed at groups of students between the ages of 12 and 20 and last 1 hour. Activities are free and places are limited.
Setmana mundial del cervell 2019[1]

A study of Servei d’Hematologia de Sant Pau and the Complutense University of Madrid (UNC) reveals that the rhG-CSF factor has one innate immunological effect for a cancer-fighting disease. L’estudi “Antitumor effect of sustained neutrophilia induced by rhG-CSF in a murine model of pancreas” Ha sortit publicat to the prestigious journal Scientific Reports of the group Nature.

Dr. Juan Carlos Souto, Deputy Head of the Haemostasis and Thrombosis Unit of the Hematology Service of Sant Pau, coordinator of the Thrombosis and Hemostàsia Group of the Research Institution of Sant Pau and member of the Josep Carreras Institution. , Antonio Brú, the title of the Faculty of Mathematics of the UCM, the researcher responsible for the research.

Sant Pau has published an experimental part of the investigation and the mathematical modeling of the tipus of necrosi tumoral observat i l’estadica s’ha realitzat to the UCM. The “search seeks to demonstrate the antitumor role of innate immunity, enough men but finishes for international research” (focused on acquired or specialized immunity). If the hypothesis is confirmed, the strategies of tractament dels tumor sòlids are likely to be much cheaper than the current ones, more effective and less ambitious, “says Dr. Souto.

On the website, the immunological terraces have focused on the international scientific community with a proposal of effective therapies for combat. If most of the statistics focus on adaptive immunity, innate immunity will accumulate successes for the treatment and therapeutic practice against cancer.This is a report of tumor growth that indicates the existence of a study of PLOS ONE pel mateix grup d’investigació.of an “immune threshold” that separates pro-and anti-tumor peritumoral statesInflammation “which is the theoretical marker of the cancer tract and the owners of innate immunity”, which is the first time that the “immune system” has been designed in a circumstance that marks the difference between ease of use and privacy .

To the photograph the dra. María Virtudes Céspedes, PhD. Researcher Miguel Servet i IP of the Grup d’Oncologia Ginecològica i Peritoneal of the Institute of Research of Sant Pau i col·laborator in the research and Dr. Souto.

PLoS ONE 2018 Bru immunological threshold[1]

Sci Rep 2019 Brú G_CSF in murine model of pancreatic cancer[1]

Dr. Silvana Novelli Canales, assistant to the Hematology Service of the Hospital and researcher of the Hematology and Transplant Group of the Research Institute, has obtained one of the two FEHH-Fundación CRIS 2018-2019 grants awarded to the State through the Spanish Hematology and Hematotherapy Foundation. The aim of these grants is to ensure that scholarship holders obtain cutting-edge knowledge in the haematological and haemotherapeutic areas to be applied on our return.

The FEHH-Fundación CRIS 2018-2019 grant will allow Dr. Novelli to carry out a postdoctoral stay in the lymphomagènesi laboratory of the Centre Hospitalier Lyon Sud – Inserm (France), under the tutelage of Drs. E. Bachy and G. Salles, to develop the translational research project, ATAC-seq as a reliable and fast method for peripheral T-cell lymphoproliferation.

Read more: https://criscancer.org/es/diamieloma2018/